1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for repairing a damaged surface and/or sealing pores of a surface of a dielectric film.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the size of semiconductor devices has continuously become smaller, a reduction of dielectric constant of dielectric films becomes crucial. However, process-induced damage on dielectric films is related to carbon depletion, moisture absorption, and barrier metal layer diffusion due to their high porosity, and is a very serious problem. Because of the problem, the necessity for technology that repairs the damage and seals the pores of the dielectric films is increasing.
Conventionally, very thin dielectric layers formed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) or plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) have been proposed to repair process-induced damage and seal pores at a surface of dielectric films, but they have never been successful on actual industrial applications or on a mass production scale because their step coverage is poor and/or a plasma used in their process also causes damage to surfaces of the dielectric films.
Any discussion of problems and solutions involved in the related art has been included in this disclosure solely for the purposes of providing a context for the present invention, and should not be taken as an admission that any or all of the discussion were known at the time the invention was made.